How to Choose a Lens Filter – Tips & Best Filters

which-lens-filter-to-buy

When we had film cameras, lens filters of all sorts were extremely popular (whether for improving image quality, colors or saturation). With digital cameras and Photoshop, a lot of simple filters are rarely used nowadays, and certain problems of film have also been more or less “fixed” with digital sensors (digital cameras are less sensitive to UV light).

However, there are still plenty of good filters out there, and in this article, you’ll see which ones are the best, and how you can actually protect your lens and save money in case of an accident!

Lens Diameter & Best Brands

There are different sizes of filters; look for the Ø symbol on the front element of your lens to figure out the right diameter. If you’re not sure how it should look like, chances are you have one the sizes below:

  • 52mm
  • 58mm
  • 62mm
  • 67mm
  • 72mm
  • 77mm
  • 82mm
  • 86mm

Telephoto lenses and/or those with larger apertures tend to have bigger diameters, and bigger filters also cost more. But before buying the cheapest one, you have to understand that a filter is usually nothing more than a piece of glass, and buying a bad one will reduce your image quality.

It’s better to buy from trusted brands such as Hoya, B+W, Hama and Cokin. I’ll share links in this article to best models for each size, and Hoya’s HD filters that are more durable than anything out there! A lot of unknown brands actually use plastic instead of glass, and can degrade your quality!

1. UV/Haze Filters

Back in the day these were used to minimize UV light, but now we mainly use them to protect our lenses. It’s much cheaper to replace a $30 filter than a $3,000 lens, and if you ever plan on selling the lens, it’s a big plus if you mention you’ve been using a lens filter since day one!

Here are the best UV filters I recommend, with different sizes for different lenses. If money is not an issue, and you want the best out there, I seriously recommend you to go with Hoya’s HD filters (check out their video demonstration) as they’re almost unbreakable, and you can easily wipe off fingerprints.

2. Polarizing Filters

Polarizing filters are used to remove/minimize reflections (glass, water, etc.) and to darken a certain part of an image. Their effect can be changed by rotating them, which can be an issue if your lens rotates on its own while auto focusing! If that’s the case, then make sure your polarizing filter is a circular type, and not linear.

3. Neutral Density (ND) Filters

Most of the time we change settings on our camera to gather as much light as possible, but there are also times when we want the exact opposite. If you want to blur the motion (waterfalls, sea, sky, etc.), your photographs can often get overexposed, even with the smallest aperture possible.

That’s why photographers use Neutral Density filters, as they block a certain amount of light hitting the sensor, thus allowing you to get those beautiful long shutter speed shots.

  • ND2 [0.3] reduces the light for 1 stop
  • ND4 [0.6] reduces the light for 2stops
  • ND8 [0.9] reduces the light for 3 stops
  • ND16 [1.2] reduces the light for 4 stops
  • ND32 [1.5] reduces the light for 5 stops
  • ND64 [1.8] reduces the light for 6 stops
  • ND1000 [3.0] reduces the light for 10 stops
  • ND10000 [6.0] reduces the light for 13 stops

Imagine you’re photographing a waterfall with the following settings: 1/15, f/22 and ISO 100. Since the image is overexposed, we’re going to use a neutral density filter; ND4 type to be exact. You can now use a 2 stops slower shutter speed (in our case 1/4) to get that blurry look you want. The higher the ND number, slower shutter speed you can use.

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